095 Breaking Point
The background is white. ; Panel 1 Zane is standing in the graveyard with his hands in his pockets, pink-cheeked and shivering all over. He's grimacing, and his eyes are small and terrified. Novacek, his cheeks pink from the cold, pats Zane on the shoulder as he starts to walk away, turning back toward Zane and saying "I've had *enough* of this booby hatch. If you ever get near a *quaint* custom here, send me a postcard." In the foreground, Iris and Mrs. Isquith are talking to each other. They're not wearing the white hoods, and Mrs. Isquith is smiling, her cheeks pink, while we can only see the back of Iris' head. In the background, four silhouetted mourners are gathered in a circle. The sky is mostly dark now, although the snow on the ground is bright and some of the snowflakes are so bright they almost seem to be shining. ; Panel 2. Chief Belknap appears in front of Novacek, eyeing him suspiciously and saying "*Hold it right there*. We're looking for an H. David Novacek." Novacek looks back at him, his expression somewhat annoyed, and answers "Why, did you find my motor vehicle license?" Belknap says "Oh, a wise guy." Belknap is wearing his usual uniform, and his cheeks are pink. Two other policemen stand a few feet behind him. One is looking at the scene with his eyebrows drawn together and a slight frown, his body language tense, while the other is mostly hidden by Belknap but looks concerned and somewhat more relaxed. The coffin, covered by the white sheet, is behind Novacek, and the garland of greenery and the uneven rows of gravestones are in the background. ; Panel 2. Belknap draws closer to Novacek, glaring at him confrontationally and saying "You getting into any *other* kinds of trouble in town, Novacek?" Novacek looks back at him defiantly, answering "No. Just minding my own business." Belknap says "You seem to be leaving in an awful *hurry*." ; Panel 3. Novacek's expression is angry, and he raises an eyebrow and says "What *exactly* are you getting at?" A pink-cheeked Iris joins the two of them, standing next to Novacek and gesturing in a conciliatory way. She smiles at Chief Belknap, her expression uneasy, and says "Er, Chief, there's no need to make a *scene* at a funeral..." Novacek interrupts her, saying "This funeral's *enough* of a scene as it is!" In the background, Zane is still shaking and frightened-looking, his shoulders up by his ears and his hand curled into a fist. ; Panel 5. Planchett appears to Zane's left, smiling smugly with his eyes closed and resting his hands on his hips. He says "Yesterday I thought the *dim redhead* had the biggest mouth. Color *me* surprised." Zane is still trembling and tense-looking, with tiny, terrified eyes, but his eyebrows draw together angrily and he grimaces. ; Panel 6. Zane brings his right fist forward and punches Planchett in the cheek, making a loud "Pok" noise. Long, thin lines show how quickly Zane moved. Planchett is pushed backwards, his fingers spreading apart and his hat flying off comically. A large yellow star appears behind Planchett's head, surrounded by a couple of other stars, cartoonishly expressing the force of the punch. Planchett's cheek bulges where Zane's fist is making contact with it, and one eye is squeezed shut while the other is drawn as a tiny, blank circle. His mouth is open in dismay. The background is bright red, and there are three dark red, straight lines running from the left of the panel to the right of the panel.